Just got an e30, questions...

[jclar]

Hey guys,
I just bought an '86 325es in decent condition with 141k. It needs some work but that's no big deal. I don't have any pictures but once I clean her up I will post some. Overall I'm pretty happy with the car, it runs beautifully. I have a few questions, I tried to search but didn't really find anything that helped me.

1. The PO said the car has electrical problems mainly stemming from the fact that the car needs a turn signal switch (61 31 1 375 190). Problems due to this include 2 fuses blowing if left in (high beams and another, can't remember off the top of my head). Does this sound right? The turn signals work perfectly fine themselves.

2. The shifter was rebuilt but still has alot of play, I have no clue what the problem could be here but suggestions are very welcome.

3. Funnily enough when we pulled in the driveway at my house I was just sitting there bringing the seat forward and the e-brake completely released and I barely stopped the car from rolling backwards into my stepdad's truck. The handle no has no real resistance and if I drove it around I think it would probably bounce everywhere.

4. I can sometimes smell gas quite strongly while driving, any ideas? The car sat for quite awhile without much driving(but some) if that makes any difference. The OBC said about 10.2 - 10.3L when driving home, I assume this was L per KM?

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: And a good place for decent looking blank BMW keys? These ones are pretty worn.

[PorkandBeans]

Make sure you don't have gas leaking onto the valve cover. There's an anti-pulsation valve (or some kind of check valve) that is known to fail and leak. I removed mine when it started leaking and replaced all the rubber lines at the same time.

[jlevie]

The smell of fuel could be from any of the soft lines in the fuel system, a bad gasket where the pump/level sensor mounts to the tank, or even a rusted out line or tank. A through inspection of the fuel system should tell where the problem is.

The first step in solving the parking brake problem is to pull the rear wheels and inspect/rebuild/adjust the parking brake mechanism. A failure of the cables is possible, but more often than not the problem is in the mechanism in the rear wheels.

A true rebuild of the shifter will be the replacement of all of its wear items. If only part of the shifter was rebuilt, it could still have a lot of slop.

A bad turn signal switch can be a cause of the headlight fuses blowing. The switch isn't difficult to replace and one from a salvage yard won't be expensive.

[jclar]

Thanks guys! Very appreciated.

[txtorquemade]

The smell of fuel could be from any of the soft lines in the fuel system, a bad gasket where the pump/level sensor mounts to the tank, or even a rusted out line or tank. A through inspection of the fuel system should tell where the problem is.

The first step in solving the parking brake problem is to pull the rear wheels and inspect/rebuild/adjust the parking brake mechanism. A failure of the cables is possible, but more often than not the problem is in the mechanism in the rear wheels.

A true rebuild of the shifter will be the replacement of all of its wear items. If only part of the shifter was rebuilt, it could still have a lot of slop.

A bad turn signal switch can be a cause of the headlight fuses blowing. The switch isn't difficult to replace and one from a salvage yard won't be expensive.

JLevie... you always end up answering a question I have ....in nearly every thread I read. Thanks, your insight and knowledge are very appreciated.

(LOL...uncompensated endorsement)

[jclar]

New issue...

When I try to start the car all I can hear is the fuel pump quite loudly. Nothing from the starter or anything. Where should I start as far as troubleshooting? Kind of torn because when I searched I found that a fuel pump being loud is a problem with the fuel system, but the starter doesn't seem to be doing anything. Forgive me for being kind of car retarded, I'm mechanically inclined I just don't know a whole lot about cars.

Thanks!

[kenika65]

If u have a test light, first test to see if the small wire on the starter is getting power when turning the key if not then you have an ignition issue if you are getting power then the starter solenoid must be bad and the starter would need replacement.

As for your previous fuel smell problem, have you fixed that?!

[jclar]

Gonna try that out in the morning.
Have not fixed the fuel smell problem, I've been broke, lol. The smell is almost definitely coming from the exhaust though.

[Kershaw]

JLevie... you always end up answering a question I have ....in nearly every thread I read. Thanks, your insight and knowledge are very appreciated.

(LOL...uncompensated endorsement)

i noticed this too. dude is very knowledgeable and helpful.

[jclar]

Well, using a multimeter I started at the battery and checked its voltage which was around 12.3V. I then checked for continuity and where the negative clamp connects to the body was not quite as strong as it could be so I removed it and took some sandpaper and cleaned it up a little. After hooking the battery back up it took a few tries but started and ran great. The fuel pump also didn't really make any audible noise when starting.

The fuel smell is still there and I have a few days off of work so I will investigating that a little further to try and find a solution, it seems to lessen the longer the engine is run to the point where it seems normal, but maybe that's just me getting used to the smell.

[Gadea]

what the obc reads....I don´t know what it is, but it´s definitely not liters per km. 1 liter is a very little less than 1 qt. and 1km is 0.62 mile, so if that was the case, you´d have to fill the tank every 3 blocks. Besides, fuel economy in metric is measured in km traveled with 1 liter, often times also with 20 liters.

[iwantspeed]

this well help you diagnose your shifter woes

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=41971